With her colossal curves, brown bear Grazer prevailed in the last “Fat Bear” elections. In the final round of the competition for the fattest furry animal in Katmai National Park, she received significantly more votes than the impressive male Chunk (“Klotz” in German). The “greedy girl” had outdone the “guy with the guts,” summed up the park administration in the northernmost US state a year ago. Now it’s that time again: twelve candidates are taking part in the strange competition of the fattest bears.
For the tenth time, the park in the southwest of Alaska “Fat Bear Week”. Visitors and bear fans can vote online for a week for the biggest specimens. The winner will be chosen on “Fat Bear” Tuesday (October 8th). Last year, over eleven million people watched the bears eating salmon in the rapids of the Brooks River via webcam, ranger Matt Johnson told the German Press Agency in a telephone interview. “They just love it,” says the park employee enthusiastically. Almost 1.4 million jurors from all over the world cast their votes in the competition.
Death struggle in the rapids
But this time a deadly drama in front of the camera overshadows the start of the popular election freestyle, which starts on Wednesday. On a webcam along the river, where dozens of brown bears often go looking for food, a bitter fight took place on Monday morning (local time) between a female (identifier 402) and a male (469). You can see them wrestling with each other in the water for minutes, biting each other and attacking each other with their claws. After a while, only specimen 469 can be seen, pulling the dead bear ashore.
Such deadly duels between adult bears are rare, says naturalist Mike Fitz, visibly shocked, in a video chat with two rangers on the “Fat Bear” website. Arguments over fishing grounds usually ended quickly and only resulted in minor injuries. “It’s difficult to watch the bear fighting for her life,” agrees park ranger Naomi Boak. There was evidence that 469 intended to consume the carcass. The killed bear was first noticed as a cub in Katmai Park in 2001. She gave birth to offspring at least eight times and was last in the running as a candidate in the “Fat Bear” election in 2023.
After the unexpected death, the presentation of the twelve candidates planned for Monday was postponed by one day. However, the park is sticking to the start of the election (Wednesday).
The competition aims to inform
The “Fat Bear” competition is intended to provide information about the ecosystem and habitat of over 2,000 brown bears in the region and to draw attention to dangers, such as climate change. The area has some of the largest brown bear and salmon populations in the world. The fur-bearing animals rely on the high-calorie diet in order to use these fat reserves to survive the months of hibernation without eating. They lose around a third of their body weight.
This year the salmon runs were slightly delayed and the fish were a little smaller, says Matt Johnson. The summer was also quite warm. Rising water temperatures could endanger salmon stocks, warns the ranger.
Top with salmon
Salmon are real calorie bombs and are therefore the perfect treat for brown bears. Otis, a multiple “Fat Bear” champion, was observed eating 42 salmon in just over five hours, says Johnson. Depending on its size, a fish can provide up to 6,000 calories.
Chunk, a male with an ample rump, attracted attention this summer with his bulk, the ranger says. Last year, according to estimates, he weighed around 550 kilos. The mighty bear 747, nicknamed the Jumbo Jet, also usually has many fans. But it’s not just the estimated final weight that determines the competition. Other factors such as feeding behavior, temperament and fishing skills also weigh heavily. How skillfully do the bears catch salmon in the rapids, and how well do they defend their position?
In the popularity contest, bear fans get involved with comments for their favorites. The basis for this are before and after photos of the candidates. After hibernation, the bears become emaciated and gain weight significantly by autumn.
Bears are presented for voting every day during “Fat Bear Week” on the online platform “Explore.org”. After six rounds, only two of the original twelve competitors face each other in the final.
Young bears also have a chance
There is already a young winner. Last week, Katmai hosted the “Fat Bear Junior” competition with four chubby cubs. Bear No. 909, who won the title two years ago, is now eating well again as a four-year-old. The before photo from the beginning of July shows a skinny four-legged friend with shaggy fur, the after photo from September shows a plump bear.
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With her colossal curves, brown bear Grazer prevailed in the last “Fat Bear” elections. In the final round of the competition for the fattest furry animal in Katmai National Park, she received significantly more votes than the impressive male Chunk (“Klotz” in German). The “greedy girl” had outdone the “guy with the guts,” summed up the park administration in the northernmost US state a year ago. Now it’s that time again: twelve candidates are taking part in the strange competition of the fattest bears.
